


Despair Your Hair

by Garuda_4



Category: Dangan Ronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
Genre: At least on Toko's side, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Realization of Feelings, Though there really aren't any spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:26:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24782278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garuda_4/pseuds/Garuda_4
Summary: While investigating one of the many abandoned buildings in Towa City, Komaru happens upon an old beauty magazine with a feature on hair styling. From there, a conversation on why Toko doesn't wear her pigtails anymore ensues.
Relationships: Fukawa Touko/Naegi Komaru
Comments: 35
Kudos: 231





	1. Despair Your Hair

_Don’t Despair Over Your Hair: 100 Hair Styles from the Ultimate Fashionista, Junko Enoshima!_

Komaru took a moment to process the magazine she was holding in her hand. Staring back at her, blown up on the front cover, was Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair. Except this wasn’t quite her – this magazine was made when the world still believed Enoshima to simply be the #1 model, known to all and regarded by all as beauty incarnate; long before she would bring the world to the brink of ruin. Which, of course, meant that beauty magazines like this were created to capitalize on her popularity and fashion sense. It made sense – that was normal.

But that normalcy did not help with Komaru’s uneasiness at how… _nice_ Enoshima looked. She was gorgeous, of course, on a whole other level – but with how she looked on the cover, giving a wide, natural smile and a hand throwing the peace sign, she just seemed like a young woman still in high school. It was almost hard to believe the Junko Enoshima Komaru was looking at, and the Junko Enoshima Komaru knew in her mind, were the same person. _No wonder she had the world fooled_ , mused the younger Naegi.

Toko, returning from the corner of the room she was investigating, took a single glance over Komaru’s shoulder before grimacing. “Ugh, that trashy bitch? Can’t believe anything with her face on it still exists,” She glanced at the backpack Komaru now wore. She had begun wearing it after despairing over having to leave behind another volume of _The Bomb Inside Her_ because, between the two girls, they could not hold any more of Komaru’s ever growing book collection. “Please tell me you aren’t keeping that, Komaru.”

Komaru looked back at her friend and shook her head, putting the magazine aside. “Nah, don’t worry. I’m not gonna take anything with _her_ on it. And besides,” she flicked her hair with her hand, for emphasis, “I think I look plenty good as is.”

Toko snorted at that. “Sure, Komaru. Plenty normal, maybe. Certainly not gonna end up on any magazine covers, though.”

Komaru pouted at her friend, mocking offense. “Well forget you, Toko! I like my hair. However…” she gave Toko a once over, the Ultimate Writer leaning away in response. “It’d actually be kinda fun to style your hair. Wait!” Komaru’s eyes suddenly brightened up, a brilliant idea beginning to form within her mind.

One Toko quickly had to shoot down, before everything went haywire. “O-Oh no, you are _not_ touching my hair! Th-There’s no way I’m letting you mess with it!”

“Come onnnnnn, Toko,” groaned Komaru. “I wanna try doing some normal friend stuff with you! Ya know, sleepovers, talk about boys, style our hair – girl stuff!”

Toko gave her friend the side eye. “What, destroying Monokumas isn’t enough ‘girl stuff’ for you?”

Komaru laughed at that, shaking her hand dismissively. “Nah, that’s something only you and me get to do. I wanna do more, I dunno, ‘generic things’, I guess. Something kinda normal. Although,” Komaru put a finger to her chin in thought, ignoring the eyeroll Toko made at the mention of the word “normal”, “Now that I think about it, I guess we have sleepovers every day. You’re still not over that ghost thing, so we’re always together at night. And, well, I don’t really have any boys to talk about, and you… uh…” Komaru looked away from her best friend, a wry smile forming on her, “You’ve made it pretty clear what boy you like.”

Toko nodded firmly, clasping her hands together, a blush already beginning to form on her face. “Y-You’re damn right! Master is the only man for me, so I don’t need to talk about any other boys! And besides,” her tone quickly turned sour, “Boy talk just brings up bitter memories, a-and I’m sure you don’t wanna hear about the failures in l-love from some loser like me.”

Komaru sighed, mumbling, “I really wish you’d stop putting yourself down like that,” before giving Toko another determined look. “Still, I want to play with your hair! You have so much of it, and it is just _begging_ to be made into one huge braid! It’d look great! Pleaseplease _please_ can I, Toki?” she begged, hands clasped and doing her best to give her friend some puppy eyes.

Grimacing at the use of her nickname – _I think she’s catching on to how much leeway it gives her over me –_ Toko tried again to put her foot down. “N-no, Komaru. I d-don’t want you touching my hair. It’d just look like shit, because it’s me, a-and I already styled my hair before but _that_ looked like shit too, a-and I’d just rather keep my hair as is, s-so no means no! And anyways, y-you probably stink at hair styling, so it’s just further reason not to do it, a-and also-!” Before Toko’s rant could go any further, Komaru held her hands up to get her to stop. Something had caught the younger girl’s interest.

“Time out, Toko. You styled your hair before? How was it? Why’d you stop? Do you have any pictures?!” Komaru’s interest had been piqued, and she wasn’t planning on letting go any time soon.

Toko was a little surprised her friend had latched onto that detail. _Why would I have pictures?_ “Uh, yeah. I u-used to braid my hair in tw-twin pigtails. B-But it became a pain to keep up with a-after coming to Towa City… and… well…” Toko trailed off, shrinking into herself, and concern for her friend immediately formed in Komaru.

“Toko? What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… Master… Byakuya t-told me that they looked hideous, since I-I don’t shower much, and he said he could ‘see every disgusting ounce of grease’ when my hair was bundled up like that, s-so… I-I dunno, guess I just lost motivation. N-Not that Master was wrong, of course!” she was quick to clarify. “I am p-pretty hideous, and th-that hairstyle didn’t suit me a-at all, so it only made sense he-he’d point that out, so honestly I’m a-actually really happy he told me that, and-!”

_“No, that’s wrong!”_

Interrupted once again, Toko was shocked into silence. Komaru looked frustrated, nearly to tears, by her friend’s recount. She could hardly believe what Toko told her! That Byakuya would treat the poor girl so harshly! Was she a little obsessive over the man, sure, and maybe she couldn’t take a hint sometimes, yes – but to attack the girl so viciously? Hurting her best friend? Komaru would not have it!

“Toko, please stop listening to what Byakuya says! I cannot believe how mean he is to you, and yet you keep trying to impress him! Forget him, he doesn’t deserve you. And besides,” Komaru puffed herself up, placing both of her hands on her hips, “He clearly doesn’t have functioning eyes, or glasses! You are easily one of the prettiest girls I have ever met, Toko.”

Silence fell between the two as Toko took in her friend’s words. Words that, as far back as Toko could recall, she’s pretty sure she’s never heard directed at her. All her life, her appearance has been insulted, made fun of, mocked, teased, and not exclusively by outside parties. She’s never held herself in high esteem. So for Komaru to claim something as insane as her being _pretty_ … well…

One couldn’t blame Toko for doubting her friend’s intentions, right?

But at the same time, Toko has come to know Komaru well during their time in Towa City. And much like her older brother, the younger Naegi was honest to a fault. Komaru lying about this, or even just saying kind words to placate Toko, was almost as unbelievable as Toko actually being pretty. It was paradoxical, but… Toko wanted to believe in Komaru. She really wanted to believe that Komaru meant what she said – that she really thought Toko’s appearance was pleasant. Nice. _Pretty._

_Komaru thinks I’m pretty…_

With that thought, Toko felt a flutter in her heart that she thought was exclusive to one Byakuya Togami. And if her heart was fluttering like that over something Komaru Naegi said, then that could only mean one thing, right?

Oh dear.

While Toko was busy with her introspective episode, time moved on in the outside world. The silence between the two girls shifted from comfortable to awkward, and Komaru started to get antsy. “Uh, Toko?” she said, breaking the silence. “Um… should I not have said that?”

Immediately, Toko’s expression changed from quiet shock to unbelievable anger. And embarrassment. Her face quickly flushing, she pointed an accusatory finger at Komaru, saying, “H-H-H-How dare you say something like that so suddenly?! D-D-Do you think you can sprinkle me with fl-flattery just to have your w-way? W-Well, I’ll have you know I am not so easily manipulated!”

Startled by the sudden finger in her face, it took Komaru a moment to respond. “Wha- No, wait, hold on Toko! I’m not- I’m being serious! I think you’re pretty, Toko. I wouldn’t lie about that.”

_She said it again!_

“Don’t just say it again! Uggghhhh!” Shutting her eyes, fingers running through her hair, Toko tried her best to calm her rapidly fluctuating emotions. Her brain was not prepared to handle this much stimulation, and Toko was almost considering calling on Jack just to get a break. But a quick glance at Komaru stifled those desires.

Wringing her hands together and eyes darting around the room, the poor girl looked caught up in her own emotions, completely unsure how to handle Toko’s reaction towards her compliment. Komaru was afraid she had somehow insulted her dear friend; said something she should not have. Toko did not like making Komaru feel like that, and so decided to remedy the situation.

“Look, Komaru,” Toko took a deep breathe, and continued, not able to look at Komaru quite yet. “I don’t… I haven’t been called pretty, like, ever, I think. By anyone. I’m used to being ridiculed, not complimented. So you kinda freaked me out, I guess. But not in a bad way, I was just… startled.” Finally, she glanced back at the other girl, looking her in the eye. “And coming from you, I know it was genuine. So… thank you.”

Now it was Komaru’s turn to be completely silent, a small blush on her own cheeks. She wasn’t expecting a “thank you” from Toko, but appreciated it all the same. A small smile came onto her face. “Of course, Toko. Please don’t think of yourself so poorly, either – you’re wonderful, and I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side. Remember that.”

 _She really is Makoto’s sister,_ thought Toko. _To say things like that so earnestly._ “Dumbass,” she grumbled to herself. “First the whole ‘I like you’ thing, now this? Gonna give a girl the wrong idea…”

“Wh-what was that, Toko?”

“Nothing!” Toko yelled, anger replacing her embarrassment. “I-I said Makoto’s gonna get jealous you’re flirting with people other than him, you sultry woman with a brother-complex! L-Leave me alone!” Turning away, Toko began to march out of the room, not sure she can handle anymore of the current conversation.

“Fl-flirting?! And hey, I told you to quit it with the brother-complex thing, it’s weird! Toko!”

Already reaching the door, Toko paused before storming out. “Let’s just get back to exploring for today. And then, um,” she stole a quick glance at Komaru. “O-Once we find a place to stay, if you want, I’ll… let you p-play with my hair. For a little. Only a little!” And with that, Toko exited the room before Komaru could notice the pink dusting her own cheeks. Komaru, realizing what her friend had said, quickly changed attitudes. A large smile bursting onto her face, she jogged out of the room to catch up to Toko, already planning what she wanted to do later that night.

The Ultimate Despair’s magazine laid abandoned, the rotten woman already forgotten by the two girls.

* * *

“I know you said why you don’t like showers, but jeeze, Toki!” Komaru complained, trying to brush the older girl’s hair. She was being as gentle as possible, but some of the knots were just refusing to cooperate.

“I-I don’t need to shower just so you can have your fu- _OW!_ Watch it, Komaru!”

“Sorry, sorry! I’m trying my best here!”

As promised, after the two had found a place to spend the night, Toko allowed Komaru to take a brush to her hair. She wasn’t sure what Komaru was planning to do beyond that, but she decided to let Komaru have her fun. But now, with how painful an experience this was turning out to be, Toko was beginning to regret her choices in life. _Why did I even agree to this in the first place…?_

_“I think you’re pretty, Toko.”_

_Right. That. Shit._

The earlier conversation between the two kept replaying in Toko’s head, and she discovered that her heart’s reactions to Komaru’s words had not changed or settled down one bit. If anything, they had only intensified, and Toko was not sure how to handle that. The downtime she had whenever Jack was brought out only offered the briefest of respites, and since the two personalities shared emotions, Toko now had to stress over her other self saying anything to Komaru she didn’t want to admit quite yet. Thankfully, it seems Jack kept quiet, because Komaru never showed signs of it whenever Toko came back.

Lost in her train of thought, Toko didn’t notice that Komaru had already started to style her hair a certain way. Now nice and straightened out, Komaru took half of her friend’s hair on one side and started threading it all together, creating a braid on Toko’s left side. Then, she repeated the action on the other side.

“Alright Toko, all done! What do you think?”

Snapped out of her thoughts, Toko looked into the bathroom mirror of the apartment they were bumming in. She was surprised to see a Toko reminiscent of her time at Hope’s Peak, with two long braided pig-tails flowing down her back. She grabbed at each one, bringing them up and around her body, idly playing with them while Komaru watched. It wasn’t exactly like how Toko used to do her hair, but considering Komaru had no reference to go off of, Toko was surprised how close it was. She looked over to her friend, and admitted, “You did a good job.”

Beaming, Komaru happily started to ramble. “I’m so glad! I wanted to bring back this old style you had, cuz I thought it was unfair you stopped doing it because of mean ol’ Byakuya! But I also really _really_ wanted to see your hair like this, because I could picture it in my head but not perfectly, and it looks even better like this than I imagined! So I’m just really happy you let me do this and, well, uh…” Komaru trailed off, noticing the way Toko was looking at herself in the mirror. She seemed, well, maybe not _happy_ per se, but it certainly wasn’t a look of disgust. Which, Komaru thought, was some significant improvement. “Do you like it, Toko?” she asked.

Looking away from the mirror, Toko offered a small nod. “Y-Yeah, it… it looks good, Komaru. Thanks. But uh,” she looked back at the mirror, poking at the cowlick sticking out from the top of her head. “How come this is still here? Thought you brushed my hair pretty thoroughly, if my aching scalp is any indication.”

“Oh, that!” Komaru said, ignoring Toko’s complaint. “Well, you know how fussy hair can be. Sometimes it just doesn’t wanna settle certain ways – my own hair does the same thing. So I just let it be. And besides,” Komaru then moved in close to Toko, standing right behind her so she was framed perfectly in the mirror with her. Their cheeks nearly touching, Komaru pointed a finger up towards their shared antennae, smiling warmly.

“I think it’s cute that we match.”

The rest of the night, Toko reverted back to calling her dear best friend _Omaru_ , refusing to look the other girl in the eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished Ultra Despair Girls recently, and while I felt it was hit or miss overall, I loved Komaru and Toko's interactions and developing relationship throughout the game. So I wanted to bang something out for the two of them, even if its something as simple as this. I really enjoyed the conversations the two would have whenever they found literature, so I styled this fic around that.
> 
> Sorry to Byakuya fans. Love the man, truly, but he is a bit harsh towards Toko sometimes. No malice intended, but I can see Toko abandoning her signature hairstyle over a single comment from her Master.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this.


	2. Like a Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an intense fight with a horde of Monokumas, Toko and Komaru need a break. Toko ends up discovering one of Komaru's passions; Komaru discovers another one of her friend's many insecurities.

**“Emergency! Emergency!”  
  
**

White. Black. A piercing, intense red. That was all Komaru could focus on in the heat of battle. As she spent more time in Towa City, it became easier to fight the seemingly endless hordes of Monokumas – but she would be the first to admit that the mechanical nightmares still terrified her. Her grip on her hacking gun may tighten, her posture would straighten and display confidence, her shots aimed true at a Monokuma’s weak point – but after all is said and done, when the dust settles and she can finally relax, Komaru would still find her knees shaking. Her breaths shallow, her heart pumping furiously. If Komaru Naegi was alone in this hell, she would have surely perished long ago.

But she wasn’t alone. She had Toko.

“KYAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, it’s been too long since I’ve had this much fun! Come to me, my metallic pretties – let the queen of carnage shower you with _love!_ ”

Well, she had Jack too, but playing semantics with the two personalities only confused the poor woman. She was just another reason why Toko was so important to Komaru, whether it was her brutal efficiency in destroying Monokumas, or her invaluable presence as Komaru’s dear friend. But in instances like this, the “brutal efficiency” really shined through.

The duo was in a retail store nearby Towa Tower, tasked with clearing out the overabundance of Monokumas that still remained in that area. As Towa City’s de-facto Monokuma exterminators, the two girls tackled the job with their usual gusto; however, they had underestimated the sheer volume of horrid beasts that infested the store. With every Monokuma Komaru put down, three more would take its place – she was reminded of the video games she would play during her captivity, hosing down wave after wave of enemies, but the end never seeming to come. She was forced to utilize every trick she had picked up while in Towa City: luring Monokumas with a dancing Siren Monokuma, knocking back Ball Monokumas and using them like bowling balls, unleashing flames on approaching Junk and Beast Monokumas – Komaru dreaded scavenging for ammunition for her hacking gun once the laborious fight was over.

In contrast to Komaru’s struggle, Jack was reveling in the fighting. It was rare when she got to really “cut loose”, as Komaru had proven to be quite the capable fighter. So Jack refused to let this opportunity go to waste, unleashing a barrage of scissors from who-knows-where-she-keeps-‘em. Mayhem followed the former serial killer, weaving through Monokumas and slicing into their mechanical bodies. A carnage of cybernetic gore flew around the girl, who cackled like a child at an amusement park all the while. But despite the erratic behavior and movements, there was a method to Jack’s madness. Her purpose was to keep Komaru safe – while the younger woman dealt with the major attackers at their front, Jack would prevent any stragglers and would-be ambushers from coming anywhere near her friend. The two synergized perfectly, showcasing the trust they had in each other – they could reliably perform to the best of their abilities, knowing the other would have their back.

After what felt like an eternity, Komaru put the final Break shot needed into the sole surviving Monokuma. With a blood-chilling _“_ **I’m dead!”** , the monster fell to the ground, and promptly exploded into a million pieces. Komaru sighed deeply, finally able to relax. Turning around, she saw Jack stomping on one of the destroyed Monokumas, laughing at its misfortune.

“And with that, the curtain falls on these sad creatures! May you all find eternal rest, burning in the fires of hell! AHAHAHAHAH!” Jack laughed, incomprehensibly long tongue flopping out of her mouth. Satisfied the Monokuma was thoroughly tortured, the killer turned her gaze towards Komaru. Her already wide grin growing even further, she bounded over to her friend. “Ah, Dekomaru, my darling! Another splendid display of brutality from us both, wouldn’t you say?”

“Ah, y-yeah, Jack. Nice job,” Komaru stuttered out, distracted momentarily by the killer’s words. _My darling_.

This was a recent ongoing recurrence, Komaru noticed. Within the past week or so, Jack had become more… _affectionate_ felt like the right word, but using it to describe anything related to the scissor-happy woman didn’t sit right with Komaru. Still, insulting nickname aside, Jack’s demeanor towards Komaru had certainly taken a turn for the sweeter. She had already warmed up to Komaru as Toko grew closer to her, but the way she acted now almost reminded Komaru of how the eccentric girl talked of her “Master”. Though not with nearly as much drool. And the younger Naegi wasn’t a fool; she realized that this change had something to do with the conversation the two girls had about Toko’s hair the previous week. Komaru’s kind words must have meant quite a lot to Toko to have such an emotional effect on Jack, and while Toko would never make her feelings obvious, her more boisterous personality was not the type for subtlety.

But, Komaru was quick to remind herself, Jack was the type to overexaggerate and emphasize her performance. What she was saying now does not necessarily reflect how Toko feels. Plus, whenever Toko came back, she would immediately glare at Komaru, looking to see if Jack had let something slip. She clearly was not ready to talk about whatever was going on, and so Komaru pretended that nothing was going on. Out of respect for her friend – that was all.

_Don’t get your hopes up, Naegi._

“Your praise makes me happy, Dekomaru! But, alas,” Jack bemoaned, the back of her hand flying to her forehead, sorrow painting her expression. “Tragedy! Our time draws to a close! I must return to my slumber – look forward to when you next see your favorite serial killer, Dekomaru!” And with a final bow, Jack’s eyes rolled into the back of her head before snapping shut. After a violent shudder they opened again, and the girl’s entire demeanor changed – her body dipped forward, her hands clasped together tightly, and a pensive look fell on her face. Toko Fukawa was back in control.

And, on cue, her eyes immediately shot to Komaru’s face, scanning for any change in Komaru’s demeanor. Sighing inwardly, Komaru put on her best poker face. “Phew! Glad that’s over with, right Toko?” she smiled, feigning ignorance.

“Y-Yeah. Guess you and Jack took care of them all, then?” Toko replied, visibly relaxing.

“Sure did! Took forever though. We should get back to Haiji and the others, tell them the place is cleared out. They’ll be able to bury the dead now,” Komaru suggested, starting to make her way to the exit.

“Sure, but first,” Toko then bent over, exhaustion plain on her face. “Can we take a break? My whole body is killing me.”

“Oh! Yeah, of course Toko. We have been at it for a while,” Komaru consented, her own face starting to scrunch up. “I’m feeling pretty beat myself, actually.” She then started looking around the store, trying to spot what she wanted. They were near the back of the store, so it only made sense that… Ah! “Over there! I think that’s the employee breakroom. Wanna crash there?” She offered to Toko, pointing to a door off to the side of the produce section.

“Works for me. Let’s go,” Toko said, already making her way to the room Komaru had indicated. Komaru began to follow, but came to halt when she realized something.

“Uh, Toko?”

“Hm? W-What’s up, Komaru?”

“Well, I don’t want to leave you alone, but,” an apologetic smile came onto her face, a drop of sweat falling. “I kinda gotta use the bathroom. You mind going without me?”

“C-Come on, how old do you think I am? B-But,” Toko then glanced around, a smirk starting to grow. “I-I don’t see any ducky potties anywhere. Wh-where are you gonna go?”

“Toko, I told you that’s not why I sit on those!” Komaru huffed out, frustrated by her friend’s teasing. “I just… I dunno, it’s _comfortable!_ Hmph!” Pouting, the girl turned away and stormed off to find the bathroom. “I’ll see you in a minute!”

Watching the girl’s retreating back, Toko chuckled to herself. It was too much fun riling Komaru up sometimes. It was nice, having someone she could tease like this. Playfully, without any malice, unlike how she had been treated by her peers all her life. Komaru had really changed Toko’s outlook on life in such a short period of time. And whenever Toko reminded herself of that, the little flutter in her heart reappeared.

Making her way into the breakroom, Toko felt immediate relief at the lack of bodies within. A splatter of blood here and there (which she pointedly avoided looking at), but nothing that would bother either girl too much to consider leaving. Seeing a small couch by the back wall, she swiftly collapsed into it, letting the tension exit out of her body. As she settled into a comfortable position, Toko once again ran the gauntlet of considering her newfound feelings for Komaru Naegi.

It was easy to deny that she _liked_ Komaru, initially. After all, her heart belonged to one man, and one man only: Byakuya Togami (and possibly Makoto Naegi, but not even the deepest depths of her psyche would even consider entertaining that notion). She wasn’t even certain she liked girls. But she had already admitted out loud that Komaru was one of the most important people in her life. Not even second to Byakuya – no, Komaru shared that honor with the Togami heir. Toko could not imagine her life without Komaru anymore. Her first real friend. Her best friend. It was the entire reason she stayed in this damnable city, instead of leaving with her Master: leaving Komaru behind was impossible.

And the more Toko thought about how much Komaru meant to her, the daunting realization that she may harbor similar feelings for her friend that she had for her Master drew ever closer. But the way she felt about Komaru was different than Byakuya, to say the least. The things she fantasized about Byakuya, what she could do to him, what he could do to _her_ … she couldn’t place Komaru in those same positions. Instead, fantasies about Komaru were much simpler. Domestic. Living together under the same roof. Spending more time together. _Holding hands._ They were all far cries from what Toko expected from Byakuya. And part of her discovered that she was enjoying those simpler fantasies a little bit more every day.

But it was much easier to like Byakuya over Komaru. Physical attraction aside, Byakuya looked down on Toko. She only had to prove herself to Byakuya to get his attention – disappointing him was impossible, because he didn’t expect anything from her. So, winning over Byakuya was, in Toko’s mind, a much easier battle, because she only had one way to go: up. But Komaru expected _so much_ from Toko. She thought she was an amazing person; someone she could look up to. Komaru saw so much good in Toko, and while it felt amazing that someone enjoyed just being around her so much, it only made it easier to upset her. To let her down. Which made liking Komaru a much scarier option than Byakuya.

_For one thing, there’s no way she’d like me back. I’m hideous, disgusting, can’t even shower, and…_ Toko’s self-deprecation stopped as she realized she was subconsciously pulling at her pigtails. The pigtails Komaru had taken to braiding every morning since she had first made them that one night. After Komaru had called Toko _pretty. Maybe I’m being a little unfair towards myself…_

But there were other ways to justify not pursuing Komaru. Toko was really annoying, obnoxious, kinda perverted, and did she mention annoying? It worked fine when it was Byakuya on the receiving end, because he’d just insult her in that cute way he did, and she’d get all mushy and happy, and it was just easy. But Komaru would fire back, or tell Toko full-stop that she was being weird, and that felt different and it wasn’t a good kind of different. She didn’t like when Komaru was genuinely bothered by her. _But it’s not always like that, is it?_ a traitorous, more rational part of her brain argued. _Sometimes she just laughs like what I say is a joke. And she hasn’t run away or tried to avoid me, despite everything, right? She considers me a friend, flaws and all._

Flaws and all, huh? Well, what about the biggest flaw of all: Genocide Jack. The _serial killer_ that lived within Toko. Scratching at the scars on her left thigh, Toko was reminded just how proficient Jack was at her job. _Ultimate Murderer_. How could Komaru ever like someone with that title? Sure, she said before that it didn’t matter to her – but it couldn’t be that easy, right? She couldn’t forgive the Warriors of Hope for the countless number of people they had killed; what made Toko any different? There was no justification for this, and it was easily the largest wall that prevented Toko from entertaining her feelings for Komaru. Byakuya didn’t seem to care much about Toko’s past, and that made it easy to adore him. But she had a feeling Komaru wasn’t the type to brush off such things, and it terrified Toko that her friend thought of her a lot worse than she let on. _Maybe I should talk to her about this…_

With a frustrated groan, Toko slid half-way down the couch, her mind caught in a torrent of emotions. It was all too much for her to handle, and she tried to find anything in the breakroom to distract her. Lazily moving her eyes from one side of the room to the next (while still avoiding the blood), she was about to give up and just take a nap when a shine caught her eye. Near the table in the middle of the room, on the floor, sat something that offered Toko salvation from her thoughts. Rising from her slouched position, Toko made her way to the object, bending down to get a better look at what exactly it was.

It was a book. Of course it was.

Disregarding how books sparkle, Toko noticed how thick it was; presumably, it was a textbook, but it was laying cover down, so she couldn’t determine what subject it covered. Without bothering to look at the cover, Toko quickly picked it up and went back to the couch. Maybe it was another book on Towa City’s history. Komaru seemed to like those.

Flipping to a random page, Toko was greeted with pictures of a man in a grey suit, with a red button up shirt underneath the jacket. He seemed to be fighting various people in increasingly over-the-top ways. Beside the pictures were text boxes offering advice on how to fight the men in the pictures, and how to progress the story. _Oh. It’s for a video game,_ Toko realized. Flipping back to the cover of the book, Toko finally took in its subject material.

Displayed on the front was a monochrome drawing of the same man from the pictures, delivering a wild kick to something unseen. The only thing other than the drawing was the logo for the game, and a subtitle:

_Ryu Ga Gotoku: The Official Guidebook!_

_I have no idea what this is,_ Toko deadpanned to herself. She wasn’t one for video games – they didn’t disgust her like manga did, but they weren’t high on the priority list. Maybe Komaru would be interested, but she couldn’t recall Komaru ever expressing interest in games.

As if on cue, Komaru made her way into the breakroom, looking noticeably relieved. “Toko, I’m back! Oh,” Komaru looked at the book in Toko’s lap. “Whatcha got there, another book?”

“Yeah, found this lying on the ground. Guess someone who worked here had brought it,” She then held the cover up for Komaru to see. “I think it’s for a video game? I don’t really care about them, but maybe you-”

_“OHMYGOSHKIYRUKAZUMA!”_

With a deafening boom that signaled the cracking of the sound barrier, Komaru was beside Toko in an instant. Book ripped from her hands, Komaru gazed down at the cover with stars in her eyes, her mouth splitting her face. Toko was, justifiably, scared out of her mind.

“K-K-Komaru? You… you alright there?” Toko asked, not sure how to handle the situation she was in. Komaru’s head snapped up towards Toko, a toothy smile glowing in Toko’s eyes.

“Oh, Toko! Don’t you know what this is? It’s _Ryu Ga Gotoku!_ And this,” she pointed at the cover, her finger focused on the kicking man, “Is only the coolest guy ever, Kiryu Kazuma!” She went back to the book, turning it open and flipping through the pages, absorbing everything she could. “This must be for the first game! It looks so old, but Kiryu still looks so cool! Ahh, I wish I could meet him!” she swooned over the man.

This was completely out of the ballpark of Toko’s expectations. The only times Komaru got this excited for a new addition to her book collection were either 1. Another volume of that insipid _The Bomb Inside Her_ manga, or 2. One of Toko’s books. And even then Toko was pretty sure Komaru never _screamed_ like she had just now. Over a video game character.

“S-So, uh,” Toko started, trying to break Komaru out of her fantasy world. “Y-You like video games, Komaru?”

“Oh! Well, not really,” Komaru clarified. “My brother was the one who played games – I just watched sometimes. But, y’know,” she waved her hand absentmindedly, “Being held captive for a year and a half gives you a lot of free time. The apartment had a PlayStation 3 in the room and some games, so I gave ‘em a try. Most of them bored me, but then,” the stars in her eyes reappeared, “I played _Ryu Ga Gotoku 3_ , and oh my god Toko, it’s the best! You play as this ex-yakuza, Kiryu Kazuma – who, as I said, is the _coolest_ – and you go around helping people, beating up goons, doing little minigames, and a whole bunch of stuff! It’s, like, the silliest game I’ve ever played, but at the same time it gets so emotionally destructive, I just balled my eyes out near the end!” Komaru rambled on and on, completely invested in selling the game to her friend.

“S-Sounds, uh, cool, Komaru,” Toko said. Admittedly, she wasn’t very interested in the game, but Komaru seemed so passionate about it that Toko couldn’t find it in her to squash her friend’s enthusiasm. Still, there was something that caught Toko’s attention. “Ex-yakuza, huh? S-So you play as a c-criminal, then?”

“Yeah! Well, kind of? Like I said, he’s ex-yakuza, but you still do some pretty illegal stuff in the game. But Kiryu’s a really nice guy, it’s hard to believe he was ever yakuza.”

“D-Do you kill people in the game?” Toko asked.

“Umm,” Komaru paused, looking conflicted. “It’s kinda weird. The game says that Kiryu’s never killed _anyone_ , but the stuff you do to bad guys in the game would totally kill them. It’s actually kinda funny!” She started to giggle to herself. “You can use swords and guns on people, and Kiryu has these things called _Heat Moves_ where he’ll, like, grab people and slam them into walls or throws them into cars. But after the fight is over, they’ll just be all hunched over,” to demonstrate, Komaru leaned forward, clutching her side and acting like she was in pain, “like this, and then they’ll be like ‘damn you, Kiryu, we’ll get you next time’!” She imitated a gruff, deep yakuza voice, then laughed at herself. “Like I said, it’s a silly game. But it’s really good!”

“I-I see,” Toko said distractedly, a thought suddenly crossing her mind. _I wonder…_ “U-Um, Komaru? Sorry to change t-topics so quick, but can I ask you s-something?”

Noticing Toko’s nervous expression, Komaru took a more serious tone. “Of course, Toko. What’s up?”

“I wanted to know… I-I’m sorry, but, why are you friends with me?”

Komaru’s eyes opened up wide, shock plain on her face. “You’re asking me that now?! I think it’d be pretty obvious why we’re friends, Toko!”

“I-I know! I-I’m not trying to be r-rude, i-it’s just,” Toko’s hands waved wildly, trying to clarify her position. “L-Look, this has been on my m-mind for a while. C-Can you look at this?” Twisting her body towards Komaru, Toko hiked up her skirt enough to show off her left thigh.

The thigh with the tally marks etched in.

“Eh? T-Toko, why are you showing me your thigh?” Komaru asked, a faint blush appearing on her face.

“I-It’s not my thigh I want you to look at, dimwit! It’s the tally marks.”

“O-Oh. I’ve wondered about those myself, actually. What are they for?”

“Those are…” Toko took in a shaky breath, steeling herself. “It’s how many times Jack has killed someone. How many times _I_ have killed someone, Komaru,” Toko turned her head away, unable to look at Komaru when she admitted it.

Komaru’s face paled, her eyes shooting to her friend’s thigh. She began counting. _Five, ten, fifteen… twenty… twenty-five…!_ She tore her eyes away, afraid to go any higher. To acknowledge how far Jack went.

A tense silence followed, the two girls afraid to speak up. Finally, swallowing deep, Toko stammered out, “I’m sorry. I-I didn’t want to scare you, or anything l-like that. B-But, you said yourself, killing people is u-unforgivable. Y-You told those brats what th-they did was terrible. And it was. S-So why were you okay wh-when it was me?” Toko’s eyes moved to meet Komaru’s, but she was staring forward, expression pained. Toko’s heart seized, terror starting to flood her mind. _I fucked up. I fucked up and now she’s going to leave me, and I’ll be alone again, and- and…_

“Komaru?” Toko asked, voice miniscule.

Biting her lip, Komaru turned her gaze toward Toko. She looked worried, her fingers drumming on the guidebook. But she managed to work out a simple question, “C-Can I keep talking about the game, for a second, Toko?”

“Wh-what?”

“Just hear me out, okay?” She offered a tiny, strained smile, then looked down at the book in her lap. “In the game, Kiryu takes care of an orphanage. He regrets a lot of his actions as a yakuza, because it got people he deeply cared about hurt. And he starts taking care of other kids as, like, repentance. He even has a little girl, Haruka, that he treats like a daughter. It’s… it’s very sweet of him. And I found it kind of admirable, trying to do some right in the world after making so many mistakes in the past.” A part of Toko wanted to speak up and refute Komaru, but she let the girl continue whatever this was. “You’re kind of the same, aren’t you, Toko? You… you’ve killed people. I accept that. But you’re trying to save people now, right? You saved me,” now finally looking at Toko, she gave a more genuine smile. “And you’re trying to control Jack, for the sake of the Future Foundation, right? So, it’s not like you’re unremorseful, right?”

Toko shook her head, rejecting Komaru’s comforting words. “Th-that’s not the same, Komaru. That’s just a d-dumb video game. This is real life. A-And even if I won’t do it again, it still doesn’t change the fact that I k- _killed_ people, Komaru. I just don’t understand why you’re so willing to look past that.”

With a sad frown, Komaru turned away again, lost in contemplation. Trying her best to choose her words carefully, Komaru explained, “I-It’s difficult to explain, Toko. Maybe it’s because of the world we live in now, it’s easier to forgive whatever happened before the tragedy. Or maybe it’s because I left Monaca for dead up in that blimp – I wasn’t afraid to have someone die by my hand, y’know?”

“But she deserved it,” Toko said firmly. “I took innocent lives!”

“I know, but…! A life is a life, Toko. I can’t justify it to myself, even in spite of Monaca’s actions,” Suddenly, a frustrated sigh escaped Komaru. A hand running through her hair, she decided to fess up her true feelings. “No matter what I say, Toko, it’ll just sound like excuses. Maybe I can’t ‘justify’ being friends with you, or whatever. But if being a hypocrite is what it takes, then,” warmly smiling, Komaru took one of Toko’s hands in her own. “I’ll happily be that, if it means I can keep being your friend, Toko.”

For the second time in a week, Toko was stunned into silence by Komaru Naegi. And then, bringing a fist up to her mouth, she began to laugh, which utterly bewildered Komaru.

“T-Toko? What’s, uh, what’s so funny?” she asked, unable to come up with her own answer. A laughing Toko was a _very_ rare sight, and this certainly wasn’t the situation she was expecting it to happen.

“I-It’s just,” Toko said in between her laughter, “Y-You can be so _dumb_ , Komaru.”

“Wha- Hey! I’m being real here!”

“I know,” Toko said, her laughter ceasing. Replacing that was a small smile. “I just didn’t expect you to make it seem so simple, I guess. So… normal. You keep surprising me. Thank you.” Maybe it was safe to hold feelings for Komaru if she felt so strongly about Toko. One may chalk it up to naivety, but that didn’t matter to Toko – Komaru saw the good in Toko, and that was enough for her. And that made Toko unbelievably happy.

_I’ll tell her how I feel. Not right this moment, but… soon. I can’t just let this fester anymore._

Komaru smiled back at her friend. “You’re welcome, Toko. Glad I could cheer you up. And hey!” She continued, thinking about the other personality within Toko. “It’s not like Jack is so bad, or anything! She seems to like me too, so please don’t worry about her or anything, okay?”

“Good to know,” Toko said. Then she took a deep breath, starting to feel embarrassed. “Jeeze, th-this is the second time in a week or so th-that you’ve gotten me feeling all sentimental. I feel like I sh-should be charging you.”

“Hey, don’t feel so bad about talking to me, Toko. If you’re ever feeling down, please let me know,” Komaru offered, squeezing Toko’s hand. “I’m here for you, okay?”

Toko gazed down at their linked hands. Normally, such physical contact would cause her to lose complete control, and for a moment she nearly did. But it wasn’t the first time the two had held hands, even if the last time was in the middle of a fight with a giant Monokuma. _And this feels pretty nice,_ Toko thought to herself. What’s the harm in letting it continue?

Looking back at the woman who had changed her life, Toko responded, “Okay, Komaru.”

“Good,” Komaru said. Relaxing back into the couch, she started flipping through the guidebook again, the fire beginning to burn in her eyes again. “So, Toko, mind if I start gushing about Kiryu again? Because I’ve got a _lot_ to gush about.”

Typically, Toko would have grumbled and made a snide comment on how pointless it was to get invested in something as uninteresting as a video game. But considering it was kind of the reason the two were able to move past a large hurdle in their friendship, Toko felt she owed something to the man Kiryu Kazuma. “Sure, Komaru,” Toko relented, settling into the couch herself.

For the remainder of their time in the breakroom, their hands never left each other’s.

* * *

“I still don’t get why you brought the book with you. Y-You don’t even have the game it’s for!”

“I cannot _believe_ you’d suggest I leave behind Kiryu!” Komaru gasped, offended by Toko’s words.

“The book barely fit in your bag! We had to backtrack twice because it kept falling out and you refused to just let it go.”

“Imagine if I said we should leave Byakuya behind way back then!”

“B-But Byakuya’s a real person!” Toko said, baffled.

“Well Kiryu is REAL to ME, Toki!” Komaru admitted, turning away from Toko in a huff.

_Unbelievable,_ Toko snarked to herself, unable to handle Komaru’s infatuation with a fictional character. She could kind of relate, if she thought of Kiryu like a character from one of her pure literature novels, but Komaru took it to some interesting levels.

The two had made their way back to the Resistance’s “secret” hideout and were staying in one of the prison cells for the night (as guests, not prisoners, thankfully). They had informed Haiji about the cleared-out store, and now were preparing for the second part of their mission: reporting back to Future Foundation. After Monaca and her Warriors of Hope had fallen, communication to outside of the city was reestablished, and Komaru and Toko had begun taking on requests for the Foundation.

Or, more specifically, for one Makoto Naegi.

“Komaru, Toko! I’m glad you two are safe,” the Ultimate Hope’s voice crackled out from the laptop. “Did everything go well today?”

Komaru’s mouth cracked into a beaming grin – she was always delighted to see her brother, even if only through video calls. “Yup!” she answered. “The store has been disinfected of Monokumas! Now you can use it as a supply drop zone, right?”

“Yes, great work guys! I’ll be sure to let my bosses know.” The three fell into a casual conversation, catching up with each other’s situations and how they were all doing. Eventually, Makoto looked over at Toko, something catching his eye. “Oh! Toko, are you wearing your hair in braids again?”

“Eh?” Toko jumped, startled from being addressed so suddenly. “Y-Yeah. Y-Your sister wouldn’t l-leave me alone after I let her do it o-once.”

“They look good on you! Nice job, Komaru,” Makoto said, giving a thumbs up.

“Thanks, bro!” Komaru responded, returning the thumbs up.

“Y’know, I remember you used to do that for your other friends with long hair. I guess you haven’t lost your touch.”

“Ahh, I’m not _that_ good, Makoto. I just copy what I remember from magazines and stuff,” Komaru said, flattered by the praise from her brother. Toko rolled her eyes at the two.

“Ugh, I can’t stand when you two get all cutesy and sibling-y. I’m gonna go for a walk,” Toko announced, making her way out of the room.

Komaru called to her friend, saying, “Be back soon, it’s not long until lights out I think!” And with a wave of her hand that indicated she understood, Toko walked out of the door. Gaze lingering at where her friend exited, Komaru turned back to Makoto with a small smile on her face.

“I’m glad you two get along so well, Komaru,” Makoto commented, a smile of his own appearing. If he was being honest, when he first learned that his sister and Toko were stuck together in Towa City, he was worried the two wouldn’t be able to stand each other (Toko threatening to kill Komaru certainly didn’t ease his fears). But the two had proven to be a formidable team, and Makoto was happy to see that Komaru had found a good friend in Toko.

“Yeah, me too. She’s pretty great, isn’t she?” Komaru complimented her friend. The two siblings chatted for a while longer, whether it was about Toko, the Future Foundation, or just however the two were feeling during a difficult time in their lives. Having family they could rely on helped immensely with dealing with the fallout of the tragedy, and the Naegis found themselves growing closer than they ever had before.

Eventually, Makoto had to leave, citing important work that had to be done the next day. But before he could leave, Komaru had an important question to ask, one she could only ask her brother. “Hey, Makoto, I gotta ask something first.”

“Sure, Komaru. What’s up?”

“Well… that Kirigiri woman,” Komaru recalled the one time the purple haired detective had picked up the call instead of her brother. “You’re, ah… you’re dating her, right?”

“Wha-?!” Makoto spat out, completely flustered by Komaru’s accusation. _Bullseye._ “H-H-How could you even know that? You spoke to her one time!”

“Oh, come on, Makoto. You really think I, your little sister, don’t know everything about her brother’s love life? How in the world would I tease you about it otherwise? Plus,” a sly grin stretched onto Komaru, “Toko might have told me about it.”

“Ah, that makes sense,” Makoto sighed out, face bright red. “Well, y-yeah. It’s true. I am. Dating her, that is.”

“Way to go, big bro! She was cute; didn’t know you had it in you.”

“C’mon, Komaru, don’t say that! Anyways,” Makoto moved on, wanting to end the conversation. “Was that all you wanted to ask me?”

“No! It just helps with what I actually want to ask,” Komaru said. Then, taking a deep breath, she asked Makoto something she desperately needed help with.

“How do you tell someone you like them?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may be asking "why does the author use localized terms for Danganronpa, but use the Japanese title for the Yakuza series?" The answer is it just made more sense in my head for the Japanese characters to use the Japanese name.
> 
> Decided to continue this, ended up with a much longer chapter than previous. I hope it doesn't end up feeling bloated because of that - I just wanted to explore one aspect of Toko and Komaru's friendship that I think the game kinda hand waves away. Also, I find Jack surprisingly hard to write, so here's hoping she doesn't come off out of character.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.


	3. Ultra Despair Girl(friend)s

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Komaru and Toko both have something to say, but neither can spit it out. They continue to dance around each other, avoiding the topic of their feelings - but a certain manga may just change everything about their lives.

About two weeks ago, Toko Fukawa came to the realization that she may harbor feelings for her friend, Komaru Naegi. One week ago, the Ultimate Writer decided that she would confess these feelings to her friend, no matter what. She was never one afraid to speak her mind – what was stopping her now?

Another week has passed, and Toko has not mentioned a thing to the target of her affections.

Not from lack of trying, mind you! She has had ample opportunity to do so and knows exactly what she wants to say to Komaru. But whenever the critical moment comes, Toko freezes and either changes the subject or runs away altogether. She’s not sure exactly why – she’s had no problem confessing her love and devotion to Master Byakuya, so what makes Komaru so different? Maybe the fear of rejection felt more real if it came from Komaru; Byakuya’s cold attitude was easy to brush off (and was a huge reason why he was just so _charming_ ). But if Komaru turned her down, or was even put off by her attraction, Toko wouldn’t know what to do. Die on the spot? Possibly. And so Toko found herself stuck in a rut of desperately wanting to talk to Komaru, but never capable of voicing her thoughts. She was hopeless.

But, being fair to Toko, she was not the only one incapable of basic communication right now.

Unknowingly to the lovestruck girl, Komaru kept sneaking glances over to her dear friend whenever she was not looking her way. And every time she did, her mind raced back to the conversation she had with her brother a week prior.

* * *

“How do you tell someone you like them?”

Makoto rapidly blinked, startled by his sister’s question. Thinking him confused, Komaru began to clarify, “And I mean ‘like’ as in, y’know, romantically. Like I have a crush and I wanna tell them, or something like that. You know what I mean! How did you tell Ms. Kirigiri you liked her?”

Shaking his head back and forth, Makoto quickly responded, “Wait, hold on a moment. You like someone, Komaru?” Considering the situation she was in, it was hard to believe she found someone to be interested in.

“Oh, well, uh… yeah. It’s, um,” Komaru glanced back nervously at the bedroom’s door, reassuring that a certain someone was nowhere nearby. “I like Toko.”

“ _Toko?!_ ”

“Makoto!” Komaru whisper-shouted, shooting a finger up to hear mouth. “Shush! Do you plan on telling the world before I do?!”

Makoto was utterly floored by his sister’s confession. He was immensely supportive of Komaru’s romantic interests, and would stand by her no matter what, but… Toko Fukawa?! “S-Sorry, Komaru, I was just kinda shocked. I wasn’t expecting Toko of all people.”

“Oh? And why’s that?” Komaru huffed, arms crossing. “Is there something wrong with me liking Toko?”

“N-No, not at all!” Makoto assured, waving his hands around in a panic. “Toko’s great! It’s just that she’s very…” Makoto paused, trying to find the best word to describe the anti-social writer with a split serial killer personality. “…eccentric?”

Komaru eased off her brother, understanding his concern. “Yeah, I guess you’re not wrong. But she’s got a lot of great qualities, too! She’s brave, smart, knows when to speak her mind, and she can be really cute, too!”

_Are we talking about the same Toko here?_ Makoto wondered. He liked the bespectacled woman, and considered her a friend, but Komaru’s perception of her was certainly different from his own. But, considering everything that occurred in Towa City and Komaru’s own accounts, Toko had grown into quite the dependable person. Maybe she really had changed a lot since their days at Hope’s Peak.

“I know Toko can be a little weird, and there’s the whole business with Jack too,” Komaru began, snapping Makoto out of his thoughts. “But we’re working through that stuff! She’s become incredibly important to me, Makoto, and along the way, I just kinda… became interested in her,” she admitted, a small smile appearing. “And I know she’s already interested in Byakuya, so I’m not really expecting anything out of a confession – but I don’t think I can sit on this anymore, Makoto. So please, can you give me some advice?”

Makoto put a hand to his chin, pondering his sister’s request. He was certainly no love guru, but if the assortment of people’s underwear he had collected during Junko’s killing game was any indication, he had some sort of charm around people. And he was actually dating Kyoko Kirigiri, an incredible woman he never thought he would have a chance with. So, he gave his best brotherly advice to Komaru, hoping it would ease his sister’s worries.

“Just be honest and tell her how you feel.”

“…eh?” Komaru responded, taken aback by the simple-minded suggestion. “That’s… that’s all you got?”

“That’s all I got,” Makoto shrugged. “It worked with Kyoko. Although,” he continued, wryly smiling. “I had something a little more… extravagant, planned. I thought it’d be fun to try and have her solve a mystery, or something, and at the end I’d tell her how I felt about her. It was kinda dumb in retrospect, but I thought she would appreciate it since she’s the Ultimate Detective. But, well…”

“She’s the Ultimate Detective, and figured you out, huh?” Komaru reasoned.

“Yeah,” Makoto sighed out, looking embarrassed. “She deduced pretty quickly I was acting suspicious for a reason and demanded answers. And since she had me cornered, I couldn’t really hide anymore, so I just told her.”

“And that worked?” Komaru asked, surprised.

“Yep,” Makoto smiled wistfully, reminiscing on the memory. “She was pretty shocked, I think. She told me she liked me too, but didn’t think I had any interest myself. Funny, huh? We both liked each other but had no clue the other felt the same way,” he laughed.

Komaru smiled, her heart warming up from her brother’s mirthful expression. He looked really happy with the outcome of his confession – she could only hope she would be so lucky. “Thanks, Makoto. I think you’re right – if I just tell her, things will work out!” she said, determination spreading on her face.

Makoto reflected that expression right back at her. “I know they will Komaru. Good luck! And remember,” he added on, a big grin growing on his face. “Your big brother’s always rooting for you!”

“Thanks, Makoto. Love you!”

“Love you too.” And with that, the Naegis parted ways. Komaru shut the laptop, a flame building in her heart. One that told her to throw caution into the wind and take risks – no more dancing around the subject! No more sneaking glances at her crush! No more wistful nights dreaming about the person you shared a bed with!

Tomorrow, Komaru Naegi would tell Toko Fukawa how she felt!

* * *

Yeah, easier said than done.

Tomorrow had come and gone, and then another day, and _another_ day, until a week had passed since Makoto had given Komaru his sagely advice. But as it turns out, “just tell her” is not as easy a task as one would assume. After all, it came with so many risks and worries that Komaru’s head spun thinking about all the possible outcomes. For one thing, Toko liked Byakuya so much it left little chance for Komaru to worm her way into the other girl’s heart. She had told Makoto she didn’t mind if Toko didn’t return her feelings, but in actuality Komaru believed herself much more selfish. She _really_ wanted things to work out with Toko, and the only reason she had held off on telling Toko anything was because she didn’t want to face reality quite yet. Plus, what if Toko was grossed out by Komaru’s interests? She did not want to lose her friendship with Toko over something stupid like this – she was way too important to Komaru now, that the thought of them separating over Komaru’s selfish desires was enough to send the poor girl to the brink of despair.

And so, the two partners, blissfully unaware of their mutual interest, danced around each other. And because of this shared apprehension, a tension had begun to grow between the two, both girls believing it was their own fault, ignorant of their matching insecurities. Sooner or later, this tension would have to be broken – for better or for worse.

It did not help that today’s exploration of Towa City was particularly uneventful. Walking through the dense concrete jungle, the girls had come upon few Monokumas to focus their attention on – it seemed that this part of the city was empty of living humans, and so the monsters had wandered off to find prey elsewhere. Which meant that Komaru and Toko had no excuse to totally avoid any form of eye contact or start any conversation with each other. Thus, awkward silence followed them throughout the day, both girls thinking it was their own fault.

_C’mon, girl, say something! Komaru’s gonna figure out something’s up if you keep acting like a weirdo all day! Or, at least, a bigger weirdo…_

_Square up, Naegi! Toko’s been quiet all day – this is the perfect opportunity to talk to her about you-know-what! So why aren’t you doing it already?!_

This continued on as the day passed by, neither giving in to their inner thoughts. And it would have continued like this, if not for a fateful finding in a ruined bookstore.

The bookstore was small compared to the nearby clothes stores and fast food joints, and was relatively plain. The only notable thing about it, Komaru realized as she looked around the district they were in, was that it was close to the apartment building that housed the younger Naegi for nearly two years. Typically, Toko and Komaru would have passed by it without second thought, but a poster promoting a certain manga caught the attention of Komaru.

_The Bomb Inside Her, Now in Stock! Read the #1 Romance Manga that ruled the nation!_

A huge gasp escaping her, Komaru only had time to whip her head in Toko’s direction before the self-proclaimed manga detester relented, shooing her hands away. “Go ahead, Komaru. See what they have.”

“Thanks, Toki!” Komaru said, using the nickname to show her appreciation (and failing to notice the crimson that made its way to Toko’s cheeks). Running inside, Komaru quickly made her way to where the manga selection was. Most of the store was in ruin – torn apart books, destroyed by rampaging Monokumas, littered the floor; if a book wasn’t in tatters, then most likely it was stolen away by looters trying to make the most of a bad situation. Komaru knew not to get her hopes up – but she could not help but pray she’d be lucky today.

Finally making her way to the back of the store where the manga were displayed, with a disinterested Toko in tow, Komaru’s eyes raked through the shelves, looking for her target. What remained of the manga section were series that she had no interest in, and the further she searched, the deeper the pit in her stomach grew. It was bad enough she was having girl problems – could she not have this one small victory, world?

Thankfully, her salvation came in the form of Toko Fukawa, who was kneeling beside Komaru, peering at the bottom shelf. Grabbing at one of the manga books, she stood back up, holding the item up to her friend. “This what you’re looking for?” she asked with a small smirk.

_The Bomb Inside Her, Volume 10_

“You found a copy!” Komaru screamed, grabbing the book from Toko’s hand and gazing at it with all the love and adoration she could muster.

“Figured I look in a totally different section than you were – someone must’ve been looking at it and not cared where they put it back,” Toko reasoned. Komaru took her eyes off her beloved manga so she could give Toko a big smile.

“What would I do without you, Toko?” she giggled.

“Probably still be wetting your underwear on top of that building I found you on?” Toko teased, receiving a slap on the arm as repercussion. The two friends laughed together, secretly thankful the tense atmosphere was lifted for the moment. Her laughter subsiding, Komaru analyzed her beloved manga before realizing what it really was.

“Wait a second, this is volume 10! Toko, this is volume _10!”_ She exclaimed, her previous excitement coming back in full force.

“Komaru, do you think I have a single clue why that matters?” Toko deadpanned.

“Well, no, but I’m going to tell you right now! This,” she held the manga up to Toko’s face, showcasing its cover. “Is my favorite volume of _The Bomb Inside Her,_ because it has the chapter where Kasumi Ishikawa, my favorite character, is introduced!” Toko only raised an eyebrow in response, visually asking for further elaboration, which Komaru was more than happy to provide.

“Okay, so the whole story is about Yumi trying to not fall in love, otherwise she goes ka-boom, right? You remember, right?” Taking Toko’s blank, unmoving expression as a yes, Komaru continued on. “So she’s constantly avoiding the boys in her life. Then, she meets Kasumi, who turns out to be a super cool person and they end up hanging out and becoming friends. But then, big twist – Kasumi is in love with Yumi too!” Komaru paused for dramatic effect, gauging Toko’s reaction. She got a slight tilt of the head, which the fangirl decided was good enough. “And at first Yumi is like ‘what, a girl likes me? No way!’ But then she starts to realize she might feel the same way, just like with the boys she’s been trying to avoid, and now the drama starts to escalate more than ever! It’s great!”

But, judging from Toko’s nonplussed reaction, she did not agree. “Is that all?” Toko asked.

“Wha- is that all?! What do you mean, ‘is that all?’ How are you not totally enraptured by such a development?” Komaru yelled out, shocked by her friend’s dismissive question.

_Enraptured?_ Toko waved her hand, saying, “I-I don’t get why you’re so a-animated about this. It’s just a m-marketing gimmick.”

Komaru’s bafflement was stopped with Toko’s statement, confused by her choice of words. “What do you mean, ‘marketing gimmick?’”

Rolling her eyes at her friend’s naivete, Toko began to explain, “Come on, Komaru. They throw in a girl so they can exploit gay content to get more people to buy the book. Straight otaku guys eat girl on girl content up like crazy, it’s easy money.” As she said this, thoughts of a former classmate surfaced in her mind – the large, boisterous doujin writer’s perverted face making both unpleasant and melancholic emotions bubble inside her. _He probably ate this manga up, too,_ she mused. “Lemme ask you this: does th-this ‘Kasumi’ girl end up together with Yumi?”

“No…” Komaru admitted. “But-!”

“Does she ever end up in a r-relationship, even?”

“I-I never finished the series, but, well, that’s not really the point, I guess? It’s more of a comedy about Yumi trying to avoid falling in love, rather than typical romance, y’know?”

“Exactly,” Toko said, crossing her arms and giving Komaru a stern look. She was in peak literature elitist form now. “Th-There’s no end goal to this s-stuff. I-It’s just p-padding to keep sales going.” As Toko continued her harsh criticism of the manga, Komaru deflated more and more. Noticing this, the bespectacled girl chose to hold back the tiniest bit.

“Look, all I’m saying is this kind of stuff isn’t special. You want real lesbian romance? Find some pure literature – m-manga’s only gonna give you the h-half-assed deal,” she finished her rant. Komaru had brought the manga close to her chest, almost trying to protect it from the Ultimate Writer’s icy words. She held her head down, shielding her emotions from Toko. _Shit, I think I said too much,_ Toko realized, biting her lip. She could not help but be brutally honest when it came to trashy manga like _The Bomb Inside Her_ – but it _was_ Komaru’s favorite series. It dawned on Toko that, maybe, it wasn’t the best idea as a friend to be so demeaning towards something Komaru was passionate about.

Trying to play peacemaker, Toko asked a simple question. “Komaru? D-Did I go too far?”

Komaru was silent, for a moment. Then, she quietly whispered out, “It doesn’t matter.”

“Huh?”

Head flying up, Komaru’s voice raised in volume – and flared in temperament. “I said it doesn’t matter!” Steeling her conviction, Komaru pressed on with her refutation, “Who cares if it’s some… cynical scheme to make more money?! Who cares if the author only wrote Kasumi to get more people to buy their books?! All that matters is how the readers feel! How _I_ feel, Toko.”

“H-How… _you_ feel?” Toko pressed, her friend’s outburst taking her by surprise.

Komaru looked away, embarrassment creeping up on her. “I mean… imagine you’re some kid who’s confused over their feelings, yeah? And you don’t know if you can talk to anyone about them, and you’re afraid that they’ll get upset over them. But then,” her gaze shifted down to the cover, a smile filled with fondness coming to her face. “You pick up your favorite manga series, and you meet a character going through the same stuff as you. And no one judges them, or gets angry – they’re treated like every other character, and they seem… _normal_. Accepted. It’s… comforting, y’know?” Komaru glared at her friend, fire burning in her eyes. “I get that it’s not perfect or pure or whatever, Toko, but it matters a lot to a ton of people out there. And whatever the author really wanted, well, I don’t think that matters.”

Toko realized what her friend was getting at. “Y-You’re talking about ‘d-death of the author’, right?” she summarized.

“Eh?!” Komaru cried out, eyes widening. “No, I don’t want them to _die_ or anything!”

A hand flew up to Toko’s face, an exasperated sigh leaving her body. “No, Komaru, not _literally_. ‘Death of the author’ is just a concept where only the reader’s interpretation matters when talking about writing, and the author’s intentions do not matter at all. Didn’t they teach you this junk in high school?”

“No,” Komaru answered, face darkening. “Kidnapped, remember?”

“Oh,” _Dammit_. Toko was having a real bad day. “Right. Sorry, I-… I f-forget, sometimes. Sorry.”

“It’s alright, it’s not exactly a normal thing to happen. Can’t blame you entirely.”

The two fell into another awkward silence, the tension left outside the bookstore finally making its way in. The poor girls wanted nothing more than to cut into it, but with their insecurities and anxieties flaring up, and the recent argument souring the pleasant atmosphere, they were left more lost than ever before. Toko was especially critical towards herself – Komaru was her first real friend, and she allowed things to end up like this? What kind of fool was she? She didn’t deserve to be Komaru’s friend, let alone romantic partner, if she went off on the girl like this.

The harsh self-deprecation grew from a molehill into a mountain in Toko’s mind, and she knew she had to speak up if she was to salvage this situation.

“Hey, Komaru?” Toko began, speaking softly. “I’m sorry. F-For stepping all over your book l-like that. It m-means a lot to you, and I… I ignored that. Y-You wouldn’t do the same thing to something I loved, so I-I shouldn’t do that to you.” Komaru remained silent, listening intently to Toko’s apology. “I-I’ve just… had a lot on my mind, recently. And I just started talking w-without thinking. S-So I’m really sorry.” Toko looked into Komaru’s eyes, hoping she’d accept her apology.

Which of course she would – how could Komaru not? “It’s okay, Toko,” she said with a small smile. “I mean… maybe you’re not wrong. There’s probably some people out there only reading cuz they think it’s hot, or whatever. But that doesn’t matter to me, and I just want you to understand that.”

Giving a small nod to show that yes, she did understand, Toko could feel her anxiety ease off her shoulders, relieved Komaru wasn’t too angry with her. She was lucky to have such an understanding friend – she needed to be more careful to treat her right. Especially if she wanted to be more than just friends.

Speaking of which…

“So…” Toko trailed off, something picking at the back of her head. A burning question that needed to be answered. “You, um, y-you like g-girls, Komaru? Y-You did say it made _you_ happy that there was a g-gay girl in the manga.”

“Oh!” Komaru blushed lightly, realizing what she had revealed. “Right, guess I never told you. Yeah, I do. I mean, I like boys too. I’m bisexual.” Komaru’s eyes never left Toko’s face, wanting to pick up on any reaction her friend gave.

“I see,” was all Toko said, facial expression unchanging.

“That’s… not a problem, is it Toko?” Komaru hesitantly asked. She doubted it was, but…

“No, of c-course not! C’mon, Komaru, I’m not a jerk.”

“I mean, you can be pretty judgmental of people’s lifestyles,” Komaru pointed out.

Which Toko immediately countered, pointing a finger at her friend. “Hey now, I only call out people for their own choices! Y-You can’t help who you like, r-right? So why be a dick about it?”

Komaru beamed at her friend, elated by her words. “I’m so glad! I haven’t really told a lot of people, just Makoto and my parents – who have been _super_ supportive, by the way, they’re the best – so I’m sorry if I doubted you,” Komaru gushed out, feeling light on her feet. “I’m really happy I met you, Toko,” she added on.

“Y-Yeah. Me too,” Toko said, feeling her face burn up.

In the quiet that followed, the two girls had similar thought processes, going over the information they had just learned.

_She… likes girls. She’s **into** girls. If you tell her now, she might even… reciprocate!_

_Toko knows now. She knows and she’s fine with it, and maybe… if I tell her now, it should be fine, right?_

**_What’s stopping me from telling Komaru/Toko how I feel?_ **

At this point, nothing, the two decided. And, with the mood feeling just right, and filled with more determination than ever before, the saviors of Towa City made the choice to cross that terrifying line.

“Hey, Komaru-!”

“Toko, I need to-!”

Sadly, they were still both pretty terrible at this. The two clammed up, startled by their shared outburst, before trying to courteously let the other speak first.

“Oh, go ahead Toko!” Komaru offered first.

“N-No, it’s fine, you can talk,” Toko declined.

“Seriously, Toko, I can wait, it’s fine!”

“No, I… I think you should go first,” Toko firmly said, her eyes telling Komaru she wouldn’t budge on this.

Komaru shakily nodded, her nerves starting to build up. “Alright, um…” A part of Komaru still wanted to run away, admittedly. But she knew this was do or die – if she didn’t confess now, she didn’t think she ever would. One last time, Komaru looked back on her brother’s advice:

_Just be honest and tell her how you feel._

Fists clenched as tight as possible and eyes squeezed shut, Komaru did exactly that.

_“I really like you, Toko!”_

The world froze when those words left Komaru’s lips, letting them hang in the air. Neither girl spoke up or moved a muscle; the two were both completely frozen in place, digesting what had just happened. The words were out now. Komaru had said what she wanted to say, and one would be hard pressed to take her words any other way.

But that didn’t stop Komaru from trying to explain. “A-A-And when I say ‘l-like’, I don’t mean like w-what I said on Monaca’s airship,” the nervous wreck that was Komaru Naegi stammered out. “I-I mean ‘like’ as in, y’know, romantically. Like ‘I love you’, b-but I didn’t wanna say that because that seemed _way_ too forward.” A pregnant pause followed as Komaru’s face blanked, realizing what she had let slip. “Oh, crap, I just said that. Oh no no _no_ I did not mean to say that!” Hands flying to her face, Komaru desperately tried to hide the increasing redness of her face.

Not that Toko was paying attention, because she was currently dealing with her own mental crisis. She had planned out everything she was going to say to Komaru: Confess her love, explain how and why that happened, and gently reassure Komaru that her rejection would not end up killing the emotionally vulnerable girl. Yes, the entire scenario had played out perfectly in Toko’s mind, and she was prepared to enact it down to the last detail. Except she had miscalculated one tiny thing.

She never expected Komaru to actually confess first!

Pulling at her pigtails, anguish came over Toko’s face as she let out a low groan. Komaru’s ceased her fidgeting and worrying in favor of examining whatever was going on with her friend. “Uh, Toko?” she began, panic slightly taking over. “Y-You’re not, um… angry, are you?”

“Angry?” Toko said, eyebrows furrowed and mouth in a tight frown. “Komaru, I am _furious._ I’ve been chewing my nails down to the finger, having damn near panic attacks over this whole thing, and just when I’m about to finally get over my fears, what do you do? _Beat me to the punch!”_ The older girl continued grumbling to herself, running her fingers through her hair. Komaru was completely put off by her friend’s reaction. She was expecting Toko to turn her down or something, but not… _this_.

“Toko? What do you mean I ‘beat you to the punch’?” Komaru asked. A tiny part of her mind, one filled with childish hope, tried to convince her that she already knew the answer – but she had to hear it from Toko first.

Toko stopped trying to tear her scalp off long enough to focus back on Komaru. Pursing her lips, she wrung her hands together in contemplation before shrugging, seemingly concluding something. “Well, since you already said it, no reason to beat around the bush,” she mumbled to herself, then looked directly into Komaru’s eyes, and bared her emotions to her dearest friend.

_“I like you too, Komaru.”_

Toko let out a heavy sigh, that extreme tension that had been following her for the past week finally leaving her. Replacing it was a new kind of tension, the prospects of a new kind of future with Komaru making her unbearably nervous – but it also left her giddy with excitement. After all, Komaru reciprocated, right? Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“So,” Toko started, idly kicking her foot. “You, uh… you f-feel the same way too- _hhgrhk?!_ ” She didn’t get to finish her question, however, as 49 kgs of Naegi tackled into her chest, strong arms wrapping tightly around her torso. Toko glared down to find Komaru bawling into her shirt, the girl leaning heavily into the older woman.

“Y-Y-You r-really m-mean it, Toko?” Komaru blubbered out, tear-streaked cheeks burning red. Toko knew the girl could get emotional, but this was on a whole other level. “Y-Y-You like me back?! Wh-What about Byakuya?!”

Of course, Toko hadn’t forgot about Byakuya. And she wouldn’t deny that she still harbored feelings for the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. But things were much different now, after Komaru. The Togami heir didn’t seem to matter as much anymore. “M-Master will always be important to me,” Toko admitted. “B-But… I like you, Komaru. M-My d-devotion for Byakuya is out of r-respect, now. You… I just really like you.”

Komaru didn’t think her smile could get any wider, and she hugged Toko even tighter to show her appreciation for the Ultimate Writer’s reassuring words. But, caught in the moment as she was, she had forgotten about Toko’s apprehension to sudden physical contact. “Ah, I’m so sorry, Toko!” she apologized, trying to pull away from the other girl. “I-I didn’t mean to suddenly hug you like this!”

But before she could get away, Toko’s arms came around Komaru in her own embrace. “I-It’s fine,” she said, eyes looking away in embarrassment. “I don’t… mind this, sometimes. Especially if it’s from you.”

Komaru blinked up at Toko, then relaxed back into Toko’s arms. The two stayed like that for a moment, enjoying each other’s presences, before an idea came to Toko. Something she really wanted to indulge in. But she needed Komaru to do something first. “Hey, Komaru? Can you, um… close your eyes, for a second?”

“Huh?” Komaru pulled away from Toko, tilting her head in confusion. “Why?”

“Just… humor me, okay?”

Curiosity was pricking at Komaru, but she heeded Toko’s request. Darkness now surrounding her, she could only focus on her other senses, mainly the way Toko seemed to be shifting around judging by the sway of her own shoulders, and hearing Toko take in some deep breaths. Komaru was about to ask again what Toko was up to before she felt something press against her lips. Did Toko press her finger up to Komaru? But it didn’t feel exactly like that – this was a new, foreign feeling. Something… pleasant. Hoping Toko wouldn’t notice, Komaru cracked an eye open the tiniest bit to get a clue on what was going on.

What met her was the scrunched-up face of Toko Fukawa, pressing in close to Komaru’s own face. Her face was burning red and her eyes were squeezed shut in concentration. She was… Oh. Oh!

Toko was… she was _kissing_ Komaru! Toko, the girl who could barely handle any sort of intimacy or physical contact, was actually kissing her – and she _initiated it!_

Well, being honest, this hardly qualified as a kiss. Not that Komaru was an expert, but even she could tell that Toko had absolutely zero experience or knowledge about this stuff. She had her mouth pressed into such a firm line that it felt more like she was just pressing her face into Komaru’s mouth, rather than really trying to kiss her. She also made no attempt to tilt her head to make things more comfortable, so Toko’s nose squished into Komaru’s, making it hard to breathe during the whole thing. Toko’s hands were also in a vice-grip around Komaru’s arms, due to how shot the poor girl’s nerves were, and it was becoming kinda painful to deal with. All-in-all, for a first kiss, it was pretty bad. But Komaru loved it anyway.

It lasted only a few seconds before Toko pulled away from Komaru, gulping in air. She slowly opened her eyes to meet Komaru’s own – and immediately turned to anger. “Hey!” she shouted at Komaru. “I told you to k-keep your eyes closed! Wh-Why the hell are they open, Komaru?!”

Komaru frowned at the girl, annoyed at her anger. “Can you blame me, Toko? You just kissed me!”

Toko flinched back, anger dissipating and becoming more flustered. “Did you… not like that?” she asked timidly. Komaru gave her friend a warm smile.

“Well, as far a first kisses go? It was kinda bad.” Toko was about to interject, but stopped short when Komaru cupped her face in her hands. “Which is why I’d like to try again. Is that alright, Toko?” Toko’s mouth hung slightly open, surprised by Komaru’s forwardness, before she gave the tiniest nod in approval. Komaru’s smiled once more and leaned in to Toko.

This second kiss went a lot better, in Komaru’s opinion. Their noses didn’t even bump once.

* * *

Eventually, the two had separated, and now just held each other in their arms. Komaru had her head tucked into the crook of Toko’s neck, and led the two in a small sway, simply enjoying each other’s warmth. Toko, meanwhile, laid her head on top of Komaru’s, silently giving thanks to whatever god that let her meet Komaru Naegi. Soon, though, Komaru broke the silence with small giggles, prompting Toko to look down at her. “What are you laughing about?” she asked her… girlfriend? Can she call her that now? Toko’s mind was racing at the thought.

“Weeeell,” Komaru started, a mirthful look in her eye. “Remember back when we fought Bing Bang Monokuma, you came up with that silly name for us?”

“I thought you made it pretty clear it sucked,” Toko recalled, frowning deeply.

Komaru laughed aloud at Toko’s expression. “I wouldn’t say it _sucked_ , but it definitely wasn’t great. But fear not!” Komaru proudly stated, placing a hand on her chest. “For I, Komaru Naegi, have come up with the perfect name for us!”

Toko raised an eyebrow, silently telling Komaru to reveal her planned name. _This should be good._ Raising a finger to the sky and striking a pose, Komaru proudly declared that the partnership of Komaru Naegi and Toko Fukawa would be called:

_“The Absolute Hope Girlfriends!”_

Silence followed. Komaru held the pose, a cocky expression on her face, while Toko simply stared. Then, considering her words carefully, Toko casually stated, “That name blows, Komaru.”

Komaru immediately crumpled, face falling in despair. “What?! I think it’s pretty great, Toko! What’s _your_ beef with it, huh?” she challenged the girl in her arms.

Toko only offered a shrug. “It’s just a dumb name, girl. ‘Absolute hope’? Are you trying to steal your brother’s thunder?” Snickering, she added on, “Or have you not gotten over your brother-complex?”

“Darn it, Toko, I said to stop that!” Komaru whined. “And what about the ‘girlfriend’ part, does that _blow_ too?” she asked with a pout. This time, Toko shrank into herself, looking anywhere but at the girl in front of her.

“That… th-that part is fine, I guess,” she quietly admitted. Komaru, picking up on Toko’s change in demeanor, mischievously smiled. Seems she had some teasing ammunition of her own.

“Oh?” Komaru innocently started, tilting her head. “Do you like it when I call you my girlfriend, Toko?”

“Well… I don’t hate it,” Toko mumbled out.

“Would you like it if I told other people you were my girlfriend, _Toki?_ ”

“Komaru.”

“Would it make you happy if I called you my _very pretty girlfriend, Toki?_ ”

“Dammit, Komaru!” Toko shouted, swatting at Komaru. “Listen here, I am not gonna put up with this!”

Toko then began a hefty rant at Komaru, demeaning the girl and telling her off for daring to give her a heart attack with how much she was playing with her emotions. Komaru simply laughed the whole time, knowing none of her girlfriend’s anger was real.

The two left the bookstore hand-in-hand, a new, hopeful future awaiting the both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that.
> 
> This was a fun project to take on. I've always enjoyed writing as a hobby, but I never got the guts to post my stuff online - I was always nervous about showing other people my writing. But hey, I decided to face my fears by posting the first chapter of this little thing, and the response has been overwhelming. To everyone who has commented, bookmarked, left kudos, or just gave my writing the time of day: thank you so much. It means a lot to me.
> 
> I don't know if I'll come back to Komaru and Toko. I kinda got everything I'd wanna write about them out of my system, so I'm empty on ideas. But if I ever think of something fun, maybe I'll revisit these two.
> 
> Thank you for sticking with this, and I hope you enjoyed reading my story.


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